too young for a 540i?

[joesmoe]

hi guys, ive just sold my 02 330ci msport and have been hankering for a 540i for a while now but am i too young for such a big barge of a car?, im only 22 with no children or real need for a car of that size as its just a weekend toy as i have a company car,
im after a 2001-2002 sport, im just itching for that v8 rumble and effortless grunt and i love the e39 shape from my experiance of them ?(530i) it felt such a solid car beautifully engineered.
any of you guys on here ever owned one or have any words of wisdom for me? or are they just a old mans car?
thanks, joe

[gizlaroc]

I get the feeling you haven't actually driven one??

I hankered after one as I adored my 530i, however after scouring the usual places for months and then travelling 200 miles to get it, I walked away.
As nice as it is, it is not nice and nible like the 530i. It works as a superb autobahn mile muncher, but for me that is where it ended too.

I am now 37 and would seriously consider one again, but at 22 I think there are much better cars, the 530i for a start.

[Max M4X WW]

22 and a deposit went on one this morning, exactly as you describe!

[Fox-]

I was 22 when I bought my 530i Sport. No regrets, fantastic car, who cares what anyone else thinks?

Drove a 540i, loved the straightline performance but it felt a bit too cruiser-like and lacked the sharpness of the 530i.

So the added driver appeal and the ease of finding a manual made the 530i my choice.

Edited by Fox- on Tuesday 6th April 22:56

[okgo]

Got a e39 and I'm 22. Weekend car they aint, is all I will say.

[Jon_Bmw]

I bought my 540i touring when I was 22. If you can afford to put the fuel in one, they are a great car. Touring makes it VERY practical and doesn't draw attention, especially in pre facelift spec.

People always bang on about how great the 530i is at handling, perhaps it is 60/100 wheras the 540i is 56/100(i.e. there is not a lot in it!!!) But they both are heavy cars and are not agile, hence I have a small hatchback for going fast round corners. The 5 series is never going to be a great handling car, it always seems strange that the 530i owners bring it up ever time the debate comes up. Buy something else if you wanna hustle down a country lane!

Insurance is quite reasonable for the 540i tourings, I suspect similar is true of the saloons as well. Get it bought.

I got a manual one as well, but I that was personal preference. I think Auto suits the v8 just as well.

Edited by Jon_Bmw on Wednesday 7th April 11:58

[Fox-]

Jon_Bmw said:

The 5 series is never going to be a great handling car

Yet the thing is - comparatively speaking, obviously - it absolutely is.

[LordGrover]

What was wrong with the E46 Coupe? Great car for what you describe IMO.

[BriC175]

I'm 21 and own a 520i (OK - a long way off a 540i or 530i speed wise, but mine has some sport gubbins). Bought it when I was 20. Great cars, handle good, comfy, safe, reliable, quiet, etc.

It makes me want an E39 M5 so much!

[Fox-]

LordGrover said:

What was wrong with the E46 Coupe? Great car for what you describe IMO.

When I chose the E39 over the E46 it was because it was better equipped as standard, better built and looked better (Angel Eyes, LED lights, nice dished 18 inch wheels etc whereas the E46 Coupe didnt get a facelift until 2003 and when I bought mine, a 330Ci Facelift was £20k).

Little things are such nice touches. Stick your phone in the door pocket of an E46 and listen to the clash of plastic on plastic.

Do the same in an E39 and you get a thud as the phone hits the bottom of the carpeted door bin..

If the E46 had provided a revelation in the handling department over the E39 I'd have been tempted to consider it a tradeoff worth having... but it didnt. It was marginally more nimble at the expense of being marginally less refined.

I just liked like the 5 more.

Then BMW beat the new one to death with the ugly stick and refused to put the glorious N54 engine in it so I must go for a 3 Coupe instead this time

Edited by Fox- on Wednesday 7th April 13:27

[gizlaroc]

Jon_Bmw said:

People always bang on about how great the 530i is at handling, perhaps it is 60/100 wheras the 540i is 56/100(i.e. there is not a lot in it!!!) But they both are heavy cars and are not agile, hence I have a small hatchback for going fast round corners. The 5 series is never going to be a great handling car, it always seems strange that the 530i owners bring it up ever time the debate comes up. Buy something else if you wanna hustle down a country lane!

It is not just owners, many of the motoring press described the E39 530i sport as the best all round car ever made, and still think that is the case.
The steering alone makes the 6 cyl worth considering over the 8 cyl, it is fantatstic in comparison.
The thing is there is a fine line between almost perfect handling and balance and the 530i is just over the right side of it, which hardly any big saloons, or even many cars at all, get right, which makes it pretty damned special.

[Pickled Piper]

It's a strange choice for a weekend car but hey if that's what you want then go for it.

I have a 528 E39 which is a great luxo barge that I use as a daily driver. They do handle well for a big car but I really wouldn't look forward to driving one at the weekends, V8 or otherwise.

pp

[sparks_E39]

My 528 Auto handles well but you can't really make an E39 do anything exciting, they look great though especially the later Sports models. With petrol prices being what they are I feel the urge to get rid though, I only average 22 MPG at best as I do a lot of town driving.

[Fox-]

sparks_E39 said:

My 528 Auto handles well but you can't really make an E39 do anything exciting, they look great though especially the later Sports models. With petrol prices being what they are I feel the urge to get rid though, I only average 22 MPG at best as I do a lot of town driving.

I doubt you do 20k miles a year though, so it probably doesnt even cost that much. I get 19mpg on my commute but given its 4 miles each way it isnt expensive, so who cares?

[Mr Dave]

For handling the rack and pinion ones are much better, as had been said a 530 sport is better, but insurance might be cheaper on a 540i and it was for me and im 22, got given my dads old 525 though. Which is obviously a million times better, because it was free.

[mondayo]

gizlaroc said:

Jon_Bmw said:

People always bang on about how great the 530i is at handling, perhaps it is 60/100 wheras the 540i is 56/100(i.e. there is not a lot in it!!!) But they both are heavy cars and are not agile, hence I have a small hatchback for going fast round corners. The 5 series is never going to be a great handling car, it always seems strange that the 530i owners bring it up ever time the debate comes up. Buy something else if you wanna hustle down a country lane!

It is not just owners, many of the motoring press described the E39 530i sport as the best all round car ever made, and still think that is the case.
The steering alone makes the 6 cyl worth considering over the 8 cyl, it is fantatstic in comparison.
The thing is there is a fine line between almost perfect handling and balance and the 530i is just over the right side of it, which hardly any big saloons, or even many cars at all, get right, which makes it pretty damned special.

I think the point Jon was trying to make is that, yes for a big heavy saloon car, it is a good handling car and nice to drive....but I'd call something smaller and lighter, an agile and good cross country car; eg an elise?! You could argue the 5 series is good at what it does, but due to it's size and weight it's going to be a compromise, and as the OP is looking for s sporty weekend car, I think there is other stuff out there that is more suitable for purpose.

[SJobson]

I had a chap call about my 540i Touring advert (now sold, I'm not trying to punt it here) and ask about using it as a trackday car. Er... I put him off, anyway.

[pat_y]

In the latest round of car buying, the first car i looked at was a 2001 540i sport, i have never owned an auto before so was unsure as to how i was going to get on with it.
The car was beautifully built, rock solid feel to the whole car, suspension was a little soft for my liking, but don't be fooled by the 'sport' badging, it's still a large exec saloon, but in saying that it was very easy and relaxing to drive.
Here lies the problem, i was expecting a 4.4 V8 to be quite an interesting prospect, instead it was just very efficient, quite quick i suppose but not what i would call fast.
I'm 37 so i'm a bit past the B&Q/Tesco carpark shennanigans, but i ended up buying another E36 M3. Build quality is very nearly as good, but a whole lot faster and more fun.
perhaps when i get to mid 40's or early 50's i will look at the big beemers again, but not yet.

[Fox-]

The build of the E39 is light years different to that of the E36. I had a good poke around a mates run-out model E36 the other weekend, its hard to imagine that once it shared a showroom with the E39!

[pat_y]

To be fair to the E36 it is probably 5 or 6 years behind in build and design, so it probably deserves to be cut a little slack, not disputing the E39 though, back in '96 or whenever it first appeared it must have been quite impressive, although i have been inside a '97 Audi S8, thats also really impressive peice of engineering.